Veteran Cardinals hoops team seeks to take one night, one game at a time
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Michigan Center – Travis Gaddy, like many coaches in many sports, had made a habit over the years of laying out a list of goals he and his Michigan Center boys basketball squad would like to accomplish before all was said and done.
He’s taken a slightly different approach this winter.
“Our goal is the next game,” Gaddy said. “We want to focus on one thing at a time, not get caught up looking too far down the road. We feel if we can do that, we’re going to take care of business as the season moves forward.”
It takes a veteran group to maintain that sort of focus for an entire season, but the Cardinals may just have the roster to do so.
A year ago, with nearly half the main contributors still in the sophomore grade level, Michigan Center rolled to a 15-5 regular season and eventual playoff-opening loss to Vandercook Lake.
“We had real good balance, despite how young we were,” Gaddy said. “We had guys that bought in and two great seniors that really led us.”
Eight players and three starters returned this time around.
“It’s a huge advantage to have these guys back,” Gaddy said of the eight.
Especially on the offensive end.
The three returning starters — Tavian Gaddy, Kylen Brown and Brett Haynes — were also the three leading scorers last year.
Gaddy averaged 13.3 per game with nearly four rebounds, while Brown scored 11.8 and handed out 4.6 assists.
Haynes scored 9.6.
Junior Connor Pelham (5.2 points, 4.4 rebounds) didn’t start, but played significant minutes, and Gaddy said he expects Jason Jonas to be more of a contributor as a senior after seeing time in the rotation last year.
Jonas scored 12 Monday night as Michigan Center started the year with a 55-43 victory over Concord.
Brown added 17 poins and 9 assists, while Gaddy added 15 points.
More importantly than the offense, though, was the defense.
It was one of the main reasons Center was able to win 15 times last year, allowing roughly 43 points per game, and Gaddy knows that has to be even better this season.
“That’s’ the key. We have to get better and better on the defensive end,” he said. “We want to be right around 40. It’s a matter of pushing and push.”
While Gaddy wasn’t talking about specific finishes or standings, but the Cardinals should contend in the Cascades.
Hanover-Horton’s magical ride to the Breslin last winter included a 14-0 finish in conference play, ahead of Vandercook Lake and Center, respectively.
Those three will likely battle it out for the top spot again, though the Cardinals will worry about those nights and those games when the time comes.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.